“I’m still alive-ish,” I confirm.
“Go ahead,” she sniffs. “You better have a phenomenal apology for not texting me back and dropping off the face of the planet for the last couple of days. Do you even know how worried I’ve been? I was so sure that you were hunted down that I couldn’t eat or sleep or fuck oranything.”
“You, not fucking? I really must be an omen of the end of times,” I joke, sitting on the bed beside Baelfire.
He kisses my thigh, gazing up at me with molten gold eyes like…
Well, like he has the same overwhelmingly sweet, stomach-flipping feelings I’ve been trying like hell to ignore.
Kenzie is legitimately irritated. “You haven’t texted me in two fucking days, there have been record surges at the Divide, the human world is in total uproar, and all I know is that my best friend is getting hunted down by some of the most powerful legacies and monsters in the entire fucking world. Put yourself in my shoes, May. Wouldn’t you be freaking out?”
I shuffle, absentmindedly playing with Baelfire’s hair, which makes him smile contentedly. Thank the fucking universe that at least my matches’ touch doesn’t bother me much anymore.
“You’re right. I should have responded sooner, but we’re really fine.”
The lioness shifter sighs. “You’re forgiven, but only because you’re my favorite endearing, gloomy little not-human. Where are you, anyway? No, wait—don’t answer that. I probably shouldn’t know, just in case a bounty hunter shows up and tries to get the info out of me, right? Okay, instead, how about…how’s your quintet? How are things going with them? Are you finally ready to admit just how crazy head over heels you are for them?”
She’s teasing, but Crypt appears on my other side with a devious smile.
“Do share how smitten you are, darling,” he whispers, twisting strands of my dark ponytail between his fingers and kissing my chin.
Baelfire gently bites my leg as his fingers skim up and down my stomach, brushing aside my shirt as my breathing stutters. Everett and Silas are gazing at me from where they stand, their eyes sharp contrasts of blood red and soft blue.
“I, um?—”
Damn it, I need to change the subject. It feels way too warm in this room, and I would rather be strapped back down in Dagon’s laboratory than sit around on my ass talking aboutfeelings.
“How’s Vivienne doing now?”
“Aww, come on!” Kenzie laughs. “She’s great, but you’re so obviously dodging the question.”
You are, Silas agrees telepathically, smirking.Look how flustered you are. You’re blushing.
“Shut up,” I mutter, meaning to respond to him, but it makes everyone laugh, including Kenzie.
“Girl, seriously. My quintet has been droppingI love you’sall the fucking time because hello? We just went through some majorly traumatizing stuff, and it’s better to say it now before the next wave of shit hits the fan and it’s too late, am I right? I mean—it’s obvious you’re all obsessed with each other, and I’d bet my gorgeous new manicure that you’vefinallyfucked all of them by now. Right?”
Oh, my gods. “Kenzie?—”
“She sure has,” Baelfire pipes up, snickering when I grab a pillow to hit him in the head.
Kenzie pauses. “Wait, am I on speakerphone?”
“No,” I assure her.
All my guys crack up. I don't get why until Crypt kisses my cheek.
“You are, love. Can't you hear the difference? It’s this button here. See?”
Damn it. I fucking hate phones.
Kenzie bursts into laughter, too. “This was supposed to be girl talk! No wonder getting you to fess up about your feelings is like trying to pull teeth.”
“To be clear, it’s always like this with her,” Silas supplies. “She’s scared of the so-calledL-word.”
I grab another pillow to throw at him. “Silas fucking Crane. I saidshut up.”
“Wait, really?” Everett tips his head, smiling so those completely unfair dimples are displayed. “Why, though? You should already know how we feel by now, so why would it?—”
